New London police arrest man for having heroin, stolen firearm

New London - Police charged a city man Wednesday with possession of heroin and a stolen handgun after an arrest in the Laurel Drive neighborhood.

Deputy Chief Peter Reichard said in a press release Thursday that police responded to information that a man with the street name "Big E" was selling heroin near a parked Mercedes Benz on Laurel Drive Wednesday afternoon.

Reichard said officers observed "Big E," whose name is Eric Atkinson, engage in a transaction in which he handed something to another person. Atkinson, 45, of 17 Alger St., was detained by officers, Reichard said, and found to be in possession of suspected heroin.

The press release said Atkinson is a convicted felon who was on probation at the time of his arrest. Officers from the Connecticut Adult Probation Office conducted a search of his residence and found a .32 caliber handgun that they said was stolen in Waterford in 2012.

Officers also found 142 units of heroin, 29 assorted pills, $500, according to Reichard.

Atkinson has been charged with illegal possession of a narcotic substance, illegal possession of narcotics with 1,500 feet of a school, criminal possession of a firearm, and possession of a stolen firearm. He is being held under $250,000 bond.